The Boy Who Has No Hope (Soulless #6) - Victoria Quinn Page 0,54
his cheek resting against his closed knuckles, his eyes staring at the math that made no sense to any normal person. His protective goggles were still on because he’d forgotten to remove them hours ago.
We’d spent the week falling back into our old relationship, just with a thin mask of tension on top. It was hard to hide my attraction to him because my eyes wanted to drink him in all the time, and to a certain extent, I didn’t have to keep it a secret anymore. I’d already confessed that he was the hottest hunk of man I’d ever seen. Everything was on the table. But it was also hard because I was devastated that the person I loved most was the reason I couldn’t have him.
I wouldn’t change anything even if I could, but it still sucked.
I brought the food to the table. “I have good news.”
He lifted his chin immediately, giving me all of his attention just like he used to, not ignoring me like he had over the last few weeks. It was nice to be us again, to be close again, even if it hurt my heart. It wasn’t like I could date other men anyway, so my feelings for him weren’t affecting my love life.
I didn’t believe there was any man out there good enough to be around my daughter. “I graded their exams, and everyone did well. One student got a B, but the rest were As.”
He pulled the glasses off his face, and a slight smile moved onto his lips. “That makes me happy.” It was ironic that he wasn’t interested in having a family of his own or willing to have a relationship with my daughter, because he cared about his students like a parent cared about their kids. But I didn’t tell him that because I didn’t want to have to persuade a man to be with me. That wasn’t the kind of relationship I wanted to have.
“Hungry?” I pulled out the containers of food and set one in front of him.
“I wasn’t a second ago.” He pulled it close and opened the lid.
I took a seat across from him and started to eat my dinner.
He looked down at his work again after he took a bite, stretching the fabric of his hoodie in the arms, shoulders, and chest. His hair was messy because he’d been fingering it throughout the day, something he did sometimes when he was thinking hard about a problem. His jaw was getting dark because he’d skipped the shave for a while.
I stared at him longer than I should have and forced myself to stop.
He erased what he’d written and redid his calculation before he raised his chin and looked at me before he took a bite.
“What are you working on?”
He gave a gentle shrug. “Just some final calculations.”
“Final?”
“I think I’m finished with this prototype.”
I raised an eyebrow. “But there’s nothing in here.”
“I send everything over to a different department, and they build it in the hangar. Then I’ll check it a million more times.”
“So, you’re almost done building a rocket?”
“Yes.”
“Wow…then what?”
“We test it some more…and more.” He stared at me as he chewed, wearing that hard expression that drilled so deep inside me. “But I have to move on to my next project. I’m already behind.”
“What’s the next project?”
“A rover for Mars.”
“Really?” I asked.
“Yeah, it’s a collaborative project with NASA.”
“That’s so cool.”
He never boasted about his work or seemed remotely impressed with himself. His brilliance didn’t give him an ego, which was shocking. His goals were altruistic, so he didn’t think about himself at all. It made him even more attractive because he wasn’t cocky. He ate like he hadn’t just shared incredible news.
Could I really work for the man who ruined all other men for me?
I dropped my gaze and looked at my food.
“Everything okay?” He picked up on my moods easily, as if he could read my expressions.
“Yeah. I was just thinking about everything I need to take care of tomorrow. Have you considered the TED Talk?” They were blowing up my inbox because they were so eager to make this interview work. It would be the first time Derek had spoken in a public setting like this, and they were excited.
He dropped his gaze at the mention of it and continued to eat.
Just the way he could feel my mood, I could feel his. “Derek, I know you can do it.”